Tim cuff
Chief executive of Koata Ltd Hemi Toia, left, director of CCKV Developments Robert Pooley, chairman of Koata Ltd and the Kaumātua Council Ngaiwai Webber and Coman Construction managing director Ben Coman at the Kākā Hill signing.
Kākā Hill, a site of significant cultural and historical value in Nelson, is being transferred to Ngāti Koata property.
A memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday between the current owners of the maunga and the Te Tauihu iwi, which will allow the process of return a plot of land, including the hill, to tangata whenua property†
Directors of Koata Ltd, members of Ngāti Koata Trust and Kaumātua Council, members of the Harley family who have owned the land since 1968, representatives of Bayview Nelson and representatives of CCKV Developments, which is behind the proposed Maitahi Village housing project, were present at the proposed village site for the signing.
The land transfer will take place irrespective of the outcome of a current application to amend the plan for the proposed housing development.
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Kuia Ngaiwai Webber, chairman of Koata Ltd, said in a statement that there was “no greater gift to Ngāti Koata than a gift of land”.
“We’ve had very little time to name ours. I can think of no better use of land than to build houses for people to live in.”
Delivered
Kākā Hill, a culturally significant site that is part of the land transfer agreement, will be ecologically enhanced to become an ecological tourist destination.
Ken Hippolite of Ngāti Koata envisioned a future where Ngāti Koata included home ownership on the site.
“It’s so wonderful to make land available to us because we’ve felt that loss since we came from Rangitoto ki to Tonga (D’Urville Island).”
Koata Ltd chief executive Hemi Toia reaffirmed that the maunga, a place of great cultural value and believed to be the site of a urupā, would be ecologically restored and improved, potentially becoming a tourist attraction in its own right.
“We want to make sure that Kākā Hill and Maitahi Village is an ecological masterpiece on Nelson’s doorstep, and that it is a vibrant place where people can enjoy recreational activities in a respectful way.”
He also emphasized the importance of the transfer for Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Kuia, another local iwi with significant cultural interest in the area.
“Kākā Hill is an important range between Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Kuia. This transfer of ownership can really enhance healing and peace between the two tribes.”